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Obituaries

Lora L. Mager, 58, of Elkader, died Sunday, May 4, 2014, at the Strawberry Point Lutheran Home. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 9, 2014, at the 1st Baptist Church in Dunkerton, Iowa. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery, Dunkerton, Iowa Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at Leonard Funeral Home in Elkader and one hour before services at the church on Friday.

Joseph B. Becker, 84, rural Lansing, Iowa, was surrounded by his loving family when he died Wednesday, April 30, 2014, at his home, not 50 feet from where he was born on August 6, 1929, to John H. and Mary (Hammell) Becker. Joseph attended country school in Churchtown for a time and graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in Lansing.

Joseph was united in marriage with Kathleen Mauss on May 17, 1950, at St Mary-Lycurgis. Nine children were born to this union. After nearly 46 years of marriage, Kathleen passed away on April 16, 1996. Joseph was later united in marriage to Dorothy Kurth Peterson on September 28, 2002 at Norway Lutheran Church.

Bernice Marion Whittle, 86, of Elkader, passed away suddenly, Monday, April 21, 2014, at the Elkader Care Center. She was born November 11, 1927, rural Garnavillo, to Peter and Marion (Thein) Dutka. Bernice attended country school in rural Garnavillo.

Bernice was united in marriage to Bernell J. Whittle on November 7, 1953, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Elkader. Three children were born to this union, Stanley, Dwayne and Beverly. The couple farmed in rural Elkader their entire life. She was a homemaker, decorated cakes for special occasions; and she also enjoyed quilting, growing roses, gardening, crocheting and baking.

Ruth Marie Baars Clinton Harris Moellers, 95, of Elkader, died peacefully Sunday, April 20, 2014, at the Elkader Care Center. She was born May 15, 1918, on the Baars family farm near Volga, to Henry and Katherine (Kuehl) Baars.

Ruth married Vernon Clinton and made her home in Littleport as a homemaker to her husband and six children. After Vernon’s death she later married Hermie Harris. Ruth lived in Communia, where she ran the Communia Country Store for the next 25 years before retiring.

Sheila Mae Knoke, age 81, of Elkader, Iowa, died Tuesday, April 22, 2014, at the Elkader Care Center. Sheila was born on April 16, 1933, in Highland Township to Charles and Doris (Hader) Erickson. She attended country school to eighth grade, and then attended high school in Elkader graduating in 1951. She was the 1950 Elkader Homecoming Queen. Sheila grew up in rural Elkader on the family farm. Following graduation she worked in Cedar Rapids.

On October 26th, 1959, Carmelita Dela Cerna Kuehl was born in Minolos, Barili Cebu, Philippine Islands. She was the fifth of nine children born to Pastor and Teodosia Enclunar Dela Cerna. She went to school in the small rural community, loved animals, and always spent as much time as she could with her beloved “Papa.” Pastor died when she was 12, and the family had to struggle for every handful of rice that could be found.

Mary Evelyn Stewart, 88, died April 18, 2014, at Central Community Hospital in Elkader following a short illness. Evelyn was born April 9, 1926, in Elkader, IA, to John and Jessie (Alderson) Moyna. She graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in 1944.

On June 7, 1948, she was united in marriage to James Stewart. Evelyn worked for the Northwestern Bell System as a telephone operator for six years.

David Rochleau, 41, of Whittemore, died on Saturday, April 12, 2014, at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont, Minnesota. Funeral services were held 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 16, at First Lutheran Church in Algona, with Rev. Karen Dearchs and Rev. Marsha Smith officiating. Burial followed in St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery in Whittemore. Visitation was frome 4-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, at First Lutheran Church in Algona.

Ronald L. Nelson, 85, of Ollie, Iowa, and formerly of Volga, died on Saturday morning, April 12, 2014, at the Jefferson County Health Center in Fairfield.

Funeral services were at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, 2014, at Floral Hills Funeral Home, rural Oelwein, with Pastor Julie Ahrens of the Volga United Methodist Church officiating. Interment followed at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, Oelwein. There was a visitation from 1-2 p.m. Tuesday at the Floral Hills Funeral Home.

Dorothy Dittmer, 88, entered heaven on Sunday, April 6, 2014, following a long illness.

Dorothy was born on January 28, 1926, to Helen and Leroy Dittmer in Elkader, IA. She graduated from Elkader High School and went on to receive her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Dubuque and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.